Kansas State coach accuses Auburn of stealing signals

September 19, 2014 / CoachingFootball
Play signals in sports are becoming more complex — I’m looking at you, Chip Kelly — but that doesn’t mean coaches will rid themselves of the paranoia that someone is stealing them.

Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder on Thursday indicated that Auburn may have stolen signs during the first half of the Tigers’ 20-14 win. It’s not the first time Auburn has been accused of “being in the huddle” of its opponents, as Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher made the claim after last season’s BCS title game. 

From ESPN.com:

“They’re getting our signals,” Snyder told ESPN sideline reporter Samantha Ponder, adding that the Wildcats changed up some of their signals during halftime.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn denied any first-half advantage after the game. “No, no,” he said when asked if Auburn knew the signals.

Kansas State switched up its offensive signals during the second half.

There are two schools of thought here. The first suggests that identifying the other team’s signaling pattern is part of the game. If you don’t like it, make the code more difficult to break. The other says there is an unwritten rule in sports like baseball and football that you don’t do it. It’s unethical.

I’ve heard coaches make both arguments, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the issue. If you want to share your opinion, leave a comment below or email us at [email protected].

Photo by Alex (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.


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